Electric moped maker BREKR unveils belt-drive electric bike with automatic shifting

Dutch-based electric mobility company BREKR has just unveiled it’s newest model, and the first two-wheeler in the company’s line to come with pedals. The BREKR Model F may be classified as an e-bike, but it comes with true moped styling.

That certainly fits within BREKR’s DNA, as the company is best known for its Model B electric moped.

It’s a ride that we first covered back in 2019 and have kept tabs on as the company raised funding and expanded further into international markets.

The new BREKR Model F is the latest big move from the company, demonstrating the brand’s design chops on an entirely new class of vehicle.

Unlike the BREKR Model B that is classified as a moped, the BREKR Model F can slide in under electric bicycle designations thanks to its functional pedals.

But these aren’t some slap-on vestigial pedals — they’re part of a nicely designed belt-enabled drivetrain.

We’ve discussed the benefits of belt drives on e-bikes before, which help reduce maintenance and noise from the bike while also lasting longer than chain drives and even becoming more efficient in the long term.

The Model F maintains a similar design compared to the Model B with a main strut running down the length of the bike from the head tube to the rear axle.

But the e-bike also adds its own flair in the form of a mini-bike style rear bench seat supported by a tubular frame. The design has a real California mini-bike meets Dutch moped vibe to it.

Unlike the standard 20-inch wheels that are commonly found on these types of moped-inspired electric bikes, BREKR created a slightly larger 22-inch rim. As the company explained, “Fatbikes have the edge, but standard sized 20-inch wheels are too small for the average person, so we’ve created our own one of a kind 22-inch custom wheels.”

The bike doesn’t include traditional suspension, but BREKR says that its fat tires make up for that with a comfortable ride. As the company stated:

You might wonder why the Model F doesn’t have suspension. Fair point, we asked ourselves this as well. The thing with suspension is that it’s a really costly part to add to a bike, and that they mainly have function on bikes with thin and narrow tires that aren’t forgiving on rough surfaces.

The Brekr Model F however, is a fat bike. Which, you probably guessed it, has fat tires. They look cool, but they also absorb the majority of the bumps and shocks coming from the road surface you’re riding on. Next to that, the saddle has shock absorption built-in, so you’re ensured of a comfortable ride – without the added cost of suspension.

There aren’t traditional gears like on a typical e-bike, but the rear Bafang hub motor has a built-in automatic two-speed transmission to select between high and low gear. That should come in handy when climbing hills and searching for extra torque.

The higher gear is better for faster speeds, but don’t expect to be going too fast on the BREKR Model F. Because of Europe’s restrictive e-bike laws, the Model F is limited to just 25 km/h (15.5 mph). That’s not exactly going to be a thrilling ride, but you can thank EU regulators for that low speed limit.

Two battery options are available with either 540 or 700 Wh. The former nets riders 35-60 km (21-37 miles) of range while the latter offers a longer range of 45-75 km (28-47 miles) under real-world riding conditions. BREKR says that ideal conditions can actually score over 100 km (62 miles) of range.

The bike’s Launch Edition is already available to pre-order with a promotional price of €2,995 (US $3,190). Only 20 individually numbered Launch Edition units will be produced, and it will be available in Q3 2023. The First Edition will follow with a promotional price of €2,945 (US $3,135) and will be available in Q4 2023. Anyone who is not ready to plop down a full payment for one of the first two editions can place a €9 (US $9) deposit toward the next batch of bikes.

The BREKR Model F Launch Edition will be available only in the Netherlands, but the First Edition will be offered in Germany and Belgium as well. Other countries will be able to order future editions via their local dealer networks.

This isn’t the first Model F electric bicycle we’ve seen unveiled this year. That title goes to Electric Bike Company’s Model F, a folding beach cruiser-inspired electric bike that is built at the company’s California assembly factory. Though with hundreds of new e-bikes unveiled each year, there was bound to be some name overlap eventually.

Electrek’s Take

I’ve got conflicted feelings here. I really like the design (even if it’s sort of a Dutch SUPER73), but those European regulations that limit the speed to 25 km/h (15.5 mph) and power to 250W (0.33 horsepower) are killing me.

Electrek‘s publisher Seth Weintraub and I both had the chance to test out a pair of BREKR Model B e-mopeds last year. While I liked the moped itself, it was also limited in speed and power to conform to local regulations and that resulted in a muted experience.

It’s hard for me to fault the manufacturer when there’s not much they can do about the regulations, but it still leaves me wanting more.